Royals stump Falcon boys in Assumption
Three players scored in the double digits for the Falcons on Friday night in Assumption, but it was not quite enough to keep pace with their opponents. Fueled by a 32-point effort from Ryan Shaw, the Royals cruised past Abbotsford in the Marawood-North/South matchup, defeating them 74-43. Assumption jumped out to a 15-5 lead to open the game, using a combination of outside shots and free throws to build their early advantage. Meanwhile, the Falcons were frustrated by the Royals’ man defense, unable to create open looks, garnering them only five points through the first nine minutes of the game.
Shots started to fall for the Falcons, with Brandon Diedrich scoring eight of the team’s 10 points over a particularly effective stretch for Abbotsford. Unfortunately for the visitors, Assumption was shooting even better on the opposite end. The Royals scored on seven straight possessions, hitting three shots from beyond the three-point line and pulling away from Abbotsford. By the end of the half, Assumption had established a comfortable 41-19 lead.
The home team remained hot coming out of the break, continuing to hit from three-point range. The Royals went on a 23-4 run to start the second period, putting the Falcons into a 41-point deficit and virtually nullifying any hope of a comeback for the visitors.
Abbotsford would cut into the deficit over the course of the final 10 minutes of the game, but the margin between the two teams was far too much to overcome.
While the Falcons managed to out-rebound their opponents 35-32, they could not keep up with the excellent shooting from Assumption. The Royals shot over 50 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from three-point range, knocking down 12 such shots over the course of the game. BrandonDiedrichledallFalcons in scoring, putting up 12 points and recording a team-high two steals. AJ Brodhagen had 11 points and eight rebounds and Blake Bargender ended the game with 10 points and five rebounds. Evan Reis brought down a team-high 12 rebounds and three blocks while scoring six points. Noah Schraufnagel led the Falcons with four assists while contributing two points and Payton Schreiber also had two points.
Rib Lake is the next destination for the Falcons. The team will travel north for the Marawood-North matchup this Friday, Feb. 17. The last time these two teams faced each other, Rib Lake came away with the 76-49 victory. Tipoff is set for 7:15 p.m.
